Originally the entire airport was within the Burbank city limits, but the north end of Runway 15/33 has been extended into the city of Los Angeles.

The airport is owned by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority and controlled by the governments of those cities. The Airport Authority contracts with TBI Airport Management, Inc. to operate the airport, which has its own police and fire departments, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority Police. Boarding uses portable boarding steps or ramps rather than jet bridges.

United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UA&T) was a holding company created in 1928 that included Boeing Aircraft and United Air Lines, itself a holding company for a collection of small airlines that continued to operate under their own names. One of these airlines was Pacific Air Transport (PAT), which Boeing had acquired because of PAT's west coast mail contract in January 1928.[7] UA&T sought a site for a new airport for PAT and found one in Burbank. UA&T had the benefit of surveys that the Aeronautics Department of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce had conducted starting in 1926 to identify potential airport sites.[8]

It took UA&T a year and the cooperation of the city to assemble the site.[9] The 234-acre (0.95 km2) site was rife with vines and trees and the ground had to be filled and leveled, but it had good drainage, a firm landing surface, steady winds, and good access to ground transport.[10] Construction was completed in just seven months. In an age when few aircraft had brakes and many had a tail skid instead of a wheel, runways were not usually paved; those at Burbank had a 5-inch-thick (130 mm) mixture of oil and sand. There were no taxi strips, but the designers left room for them. Two of the runways were over 3,600 feet (1,100 m) long; a third was 2,900 feet (880 m); all were 300 feet (91 m) wide. Generous dimensions, and the site had room for expansion.[11]

United Airport was dedicated amid much festivity (including an air show) on Memorial Day weekend (May 30 – June 1), 1930. The airport and its handsome Spanish Revival-style terminal was a showy competitor to nearby Grand Central Airport in Glendale, which was then Los Angeles' main airline terminal. The new Burbank facility was actually the largest commercial airport in the Los Angeles area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the Los Angeles Airport in Westchester when that facility (formerly Mines Field, then Los Angeles Municipal Airport) commenced scheduled airline operations.

The Burbank facility remained United Airport until 1934 when it was renamed Union Air Terminal. The name change came the same year that Federal anti-trust actions caused United Aircraft and Transport to dissolve, which took effect September 26, 1934. The Union Air Terminal moniker stuck until Lockheed bought the airport in 1940 and renamed it Lockheed Air Terminal.

At 3:30 p.m. on February 13, 1966, a fire broke out in a greasy flue in the kitchen of the terminal building's second-floor restaurant, The Sky Room. Fanned by gusty winds, the fire spread through the terminal and control tower. Controllers in the tower were able to escape on an aerial ladder and air traffic was diverted to nearby Van Nuys Airport and Los Angeles International Airport for several hours. A controller communicated with aircraft using the radio in a light airplane belonging to Sky Roamers Air Travel, a flying club whose hangar was just east of the control tower. The fire, contained by about 6:30 p.m., caused an estimated $2 million in damages to the terminal, tower and equipment in the tower. No injuries were reported.

Lockheed officials declared that the airport would reopen the next day, and it did, using electronic equipment borrowed from LAX and set up in a nearby hangar. The hangar also served as the airport's temporary passenger terminal and baggage claim area. The gutted terminal and tower were rebuilt and reopened the following year.

In 1967 Lockheed renamed the facility Hollywood-Burbank Airport. In 1969 Continental Airlines began Boeing 720B flights to Portland and Seattle via San Jose and also flew the short hop to Ontario. Continental later switched to Boeing 727-200s with some flights continuing to Chicago via Ontario. Continental went on to serve Denver with nonstop Boeing 727-200s from BUR. Alaska Airlines began serving Burbank in 1981 with Boeing 727-100s and 727-200s flying nonstop and direct to Seattle and Portland, which was Alaska Air's first service to southern California.[16]Aloha Airlines pioneered nonstop jet service from BUR to Hawaii, flying Boeing 737-700s to Honolulu before ceasing all passenger operations.

The facility remained Hollywood-Burbank Airport for more than a decade until 1978 when Lockheed sold it to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. The airport then got its fifth name: Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (1978–2003).

On November 6, 2003, the airport authority voted to change the name to Bob Hope Airport in honor of comedianBob Hope, a longtime resident of nearby Toluca Lake, who had died earlier that year and who had kept his personal airplane at the airfield.[18] The new name was unveiled on December 17, 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903, the year that Bob Hope was born.

Numerous attempts to expand safety buffer zones and add runway length have drawn opposition from the airport's neighbors, citing increased noise. Open space around the airport is nonexistent, making land acquisition unlikely.

In 2005 the airport celebrated its 75th anniversary; in 2006 it served 5,689,291 travelers on seven major carriers, with more than 70 flights daily.

After much debate between the Airport Authority, the city of Burbank, the Transportation Security Administration, and Burbank residents, in November 2007 it was decided that a new $8-million to $10-million baggage screening facility for Terminal B is legal, considering the anti-growth limitations placed on the airport. The facility will house a $2.5-million explosive detection system, used for the automatic detection of explosives within checked luggage. However, the facility is still in the early planning phases.[19]

Burbank Airport was the historical home of the Lockheed "Skunk Works," which designed many black project aircraft during the Cold War, including the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Nighthawk. The "Skunk Works" name originated in 1943 due to the strong odor emanating from a manufacturing plant near the Burbank site.[20] As of 1988, when Lockheed announced the Skunk Works' relocation to Palmdale, Lockheed employed around 12,000 people at Burbank.[21] The land occupied by the old Lockheed buildings (demolished in the 1990s), at the corners of Empire Avenue and Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue, is now the site of a growing power center commercial development with chain restaurants and businesses.

Hollywood Burbank Airport covers 555 acres (224 ha) at an elevation of 778 feet (237 m) above sea level. It has two asphalt runways: 15/33 is 6,886 by 150 feet (2,099 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 5,802 by 150 feet (1,768 x 46 m).[1] Airliners generally take off on Runway 15 due to wind from the south, and land crosswind on Runway 8 since that is the only runway with ILS and clear terrain for the approach. Flights from the northeast sometimes land visually on Runway 15 to save the extra distance circling to Runway 8. When the wind is from the north airliners often make a visual left-base approach to Runway 33, with a left turn close to the airport.

On June 27, 2014, a $112 million Regional Transportation Center opened. The 520,000-square-foot center at Hollywood Way and Empire Avenue was also built to withstand a major earthquake while serving as an emergency "nerve center." The industrial-looking hub with a red steel roof will be adorned by 16, three-story art panels. Solar panels generating 1.5 megawatts of energy will also be added to its roof. A nearby parking garage was built to handle more than 1,000 cars, while traffic lights have been reworked around the airport.[22]

There is also a replacement terminal in the works at the airport. A plan to develop a new airport terminal building was unveiled by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority in 2013. The replacement terminal would cost a reported $400 million and meet newer seismic standards and be further away from the runway as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.[23] The new location is west of Hollywood Way on undeveloped property that has been used in recent years for parking. The Burbank City Council left it up to voters to decide on the plan. Known as Measure B, the proposal went before Burbank city voters on November 8, 2016, and passed with 69 percent of the voters approving it.[24]

The next step in the terminal replacement process is for the Airport Authority to finalize the new terminal's design, get FAA approval and then secure the required financing from the FAA and other sources. Airport funding sources include FAA grants, parking fees, landing fees charged to airlines, as well as rents from restaurants and other concession businesses operating at the airport. There are also fees charged on airline tickets sold, including passenger facility charges and federal taxes. Once the funding is nailed down, the Airport Authority will bid for the project. The replacement terminal is expected to encompass 355,000 square feet and the same number of gates (14). Also, air travelers will see more restrooms, additional restaurant and concession space, improved security screening areas and other enhanced passenger amenities.

Hollywood Burbank Airport can be reached using the Hollywood Way exit (number 149) off Interstate 5, the Hollywood Way (west) or Pass Ave (east) exit (number 2) off State Route 134, or the Victory Boulevard exit (number 8B) off State Route 170. Car and pedestrian access to the terminal is provided at either Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue or on Empire Avenue one block west of Hollywood Way. On-site parking consists of valet parking, short-term parking, and Parking Lots D and E. Remote Parking Lot A is located at Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue. Remote Parking Lot B is located on Hollywood Way north of Burton Avenue. Remote Parking Lot C is located on Thornton Avenue west of Ontario Street. Shuttle buses are provided from Parking Lots A, B, C, and D to the terminal buildings. A shuttle stop is also located at the corner of Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue.[2]

There are two bus stop areas: Hollywood Way-Thornton Ave (a short walk east of Terminal A) and Empire Ave/Intermodal, a short walk south of Terminal B next to the train station. All Burbank-bound lines serve Downtown Burbank (Metrolink station).

In 2002, Terminal A was renovated and expanded. Plans existed for years to expand the airport with a new passenger terminal north of the existing one, but these plans have been scrapped due to significant opposition from the Burbank City Council and local groups.

A 2004 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report cited the need for expansion at this airport, but for now this seems impossible due to agreed upon restrictions of the size and number of gates. Under a development agreement, no gate expansions to the terminal are permitted until after 2015. The passenger terminal is too close to the runways, according to current safety standards, but is grandfathered in because of its age.

As of 2013, the airport is again trying to replace the legacy terminal. The proposed new terminal would be built on the north side of the airfield, with the existing terminal on the south side demolished once the new terminal is constructed. The number of gates and ground-boarding would be retained, but the new terminal would be larger and would address the safety deficiencies noted above. Building the new terminal requires a vote of the citizens of Burbank. New Terminal Visioning Page

Bob Hope Airport was initially built for smaller aircraft; as a consequence, the airport has one of the smallest commercially used runways in the United States. The result is a challenging landing for even the most experienced pilots.

On September 21, 1938, USAAC Chief Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover was killed in the crash of Northrop A-17AS, 36-349, c/n 289, '1', out of Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., in a crosswind short of the runway. The single-engined attack design, used as a high-speed staff transport, crashed into a house at 1007 Scott Road in Burbank. Also killed was Westover's mechanic, S/Sgt Samuel Hymes.[42] (Another source identifies him as Sgt. Samuel Hyne.)[43] Northeast Air Base, Massachusetts, was renamed Westover Field on December 1, 1939, later Westover AFB on January 13, 1948.[44] The location of the crash may indicate that Gen. Westover's intended landing field was not Bob Hope Airport (then Union Air Terminal), but a nearby landing field, Lockheed Aircraft Company Plant B-1 Airfield (34.189°N, 118.331°W), 1 mile southeast of Bob Hope Airport, which existed from ca. 1928 until World War II. The site is now the Empire Center Shopping Center, with a Staples, Lowe's, and Target where the runway had been.

On August 6, 1945, leading U.S. fighter ace Richard Bong was killed when his plane's primary fuel pump malfunctioned during takeoff on the acceptance flight of P-80A 44-85048. Bong either forgot to switch to the auxiliary fuel pump, or for some reason was unable to do so. Bong bailed out of the aircraft but was too low for his parachute to deploy. The plane crashed into a narrow field at Oxnard St & Satsuma Ave, North Hollywood.

On October 31, 1951, a Pacific Southwest DC-3 crashed shortly after take-off into Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery, immediately south of the airport. Though damaged, the fuselage remained intact and there were only very minor injuries.

On September 8, 1955, Currey Air Transport Flight 24, a Douglas DC-3 bound for Oakland, crashed on the airport property while returning to the airfield after experiencing an engine failure shortly after takeoff. The plane, N74663, struck a power line on the southern boundary of the airport, causing it to crash into two parked Air Force C-54 aircraft and a Lockheed Aircraft service hangar. The pilot, co-pilot and an airport employee on the ground were killed; the plane's stewardess and one passenger were seriously injured. The remaining 29 passengers on board received minor injuries.

On December 14, 1962, a Flying Tiger Line Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation freighter (N6913C) crashed in dense fog 1-1/2 miles west of the airport during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Runway 07. The Constellation clipped a telephone pole and billboard and crashed in an industrial and residential neighborhood near the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard and Vose Street in North Hollywood after the aircraft's 38-year-old pilot suffered a heart attack at a critical point in the landing approach. All five occupants of the Constellation—the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and two non-revenue passengers—died in the crash. Also killed were two persons in a commercial building and a teen-age girl in a house that were among the structures struck by the plane.

On December 5, 1982, Douglas C-53 N163E operated by P Crossman was damaged beyond repair in a taxiing accident.[45]

On March 5, 2000, Southwest Airlines Flight 1455, upon landing on Runway 8 at Burbank following a flight from Las Vegas, overran the runway, injuring 44. The Boeing 737 crashed through a metal blast barrier at the end of the runway, then an airport perimeter fence, and came to rest in the traffic lanes of Hollywood Way, a main north–south thoroughfare. The plane stopped close to a Chevron gasoline station located across the street from the runway. The incident resulted in the dismissal of the pilots. The Chevron gasoline station was subsequently closed and removed due to safety concerns.

On September 21, 2005, JetBlue Flight 292 took off from Burbank, and the nose gear failed to retract and instead jammed sideways. The aircraft spent several hours in the air before safely making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, with 140 passengers and 6 crew members aboard. The Airbus A320 was originally bound for JFK International Airport, in New York City, New York. After the aircraft took off, the incident was quickly captured by news helicopters which ran feed that was shown live nationally on cable news. Notably, many passengers on the flight said they watched images of their own aircraft's flight on JetBlue's LiveTV system.

The television drama Perry Mason, season four, episode four: "The Case of the Singular Double." Originally aired on October 8, 1960, the airport can be seen in the beginning of the episode as the Lockheed Air Terminal as the camera pans from right to left.

The television series The Invaders, season two, episode fourteen: "The Believers." Originally aired December 5, 1967. Hollywood-Burbank Airport is prominently displayed at the opening of Act II.

The 1956 film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. Nearby Warner Bros. studio utilized the airport during filming in 1955 to shoot the "Jett Rink Day" parade and celebration sequence, in which Taylor and Hudson arrive by plane at Jett Rink's new airport and discover that their daughter, Luz (played by Carroll Baker), has been named "queen" of the festivities when they see her riding in an open convertible in the parade.

The 1986 music video for Wake Up Dead, a song by Megadeth. Many Southern California metal fans were on hand after hearing an advertising campaign on now-defunct radio station KNAC. The film shoot turned rowdy, with fans spray-painting planes on the tarmac and leaving broken bottles on the runway.

^Dr. Ford A. Carpenter, A Preliminary Report on the Airports or Landing Fields of Los Angeles County, prepared for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, October 1, 1926, typescript in the LAX Archive. This report includes photographs and descriptions of existing airports, including meteorological data and a location map. Regional Planning Commission, County of Los Angeles, Master Plan (Los Angeles, CA: Hall of Records, 1929.) Some authors claim, without documentation, that a federal Department of Commerce survey identified the site. The fact that Dr. Carpenter had been the Los Angeles meteorologist for the U. S. Weather Bureau and the Chamber's "Department of Aeronautics" name may explain the confusion.

^Burbank City Council, Minutes, January 29, 1929; March 26, 1929; April 16, 1929.

^"United Airport of Burbank," typescript information sheet in the Archives of the Burbank Historical Society; n.p., but 1–2.

^"United Airport of Burbank," 3; Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission, A Comprehensive Report on the Master Plan of Airports for the Los Angeles County Regional Planning District (1940), 122.

^City of Burbank v. Lockheed Air Terminal, Inc., 411 U.S. 624 (1973), Justia. Accessed January 24, 2018. "Appellees sought an injunction against enforcement of a Burbank city ordinance placing an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew on jet flights from the Hollywood-Burbank Airport. The District Court found the ordinance unconstitutional on Supremacy Clause and Commerce Clause grounds, and the Court of Appeals affirmed on the basis of the Supremacy Clause, with respect to both preemption and conflict. Held: In light of the pervasive nature of the scheme of federal regulation of aircraft noise, as reaffirmed and reinforced by the Noise Control Act of 1972, the Federal Aviation Administration, now in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, has full control over aircraft noise, preempting state and local control."

^Li, Caitlin. "'Bob Hope Airport' Could Land in Burbank", Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2003. Accessed January 24, 2018. "Burbank Airport commissioners voted unanimously Monday to rename the airfield 'Bob Hope Airport.' The latest name change for Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport -- the fifth in its 73-year history -- could happen as early as Dec. 17, pending approval by the three cities with joint powers over the airfield."

^Mueller, Robert, "Air Force Bases Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, ISBN0-912799-53-6, p. 577.